New flexible three-day season tickets at the core of huge train network shake-up across England

A new national flexible rail ticket will be available to commuters across England once travel restrictions are lifted as part of a huge UK train network shake-up.

As the Government publishes the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail today, setting out the path towards a passenger-focused railway, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that “the future is flexible”.

The paperless tickets will allow travel on any 8 days in a 28-day period, with passengers able to tap smartcards or scan mobiles at the station, with no need to select the days of travel in advance.

The new flexible ticket will be on-sale on 21 June, for use by 28 June.

Grant Shapps Transport Secretary said: “For many, the idea of travelling 5 days a week to the office is fast becoming a relic of the past.

“The future is flexible: passengers want a simple, stress-free option, and new flexible tickets make fares fairer.

“As we kickstart the biggest reform of our railways in a generation, we’re committed to creating a modern railway that works for its passengers.”

Exact details of savings will be provided before tickets go on sale. However, analysis shows that 2 day-a-week commuters buying multiple new flexible season tickets could save the following in a year when compared to the cost of daily tickets:

• over £250 from Woking to London

• over £200 from York to Leeds

• over £60 from Southampton Central to Winchester

• over £160 from Stafford to Birmingham

• over £220 from Liverpool to Manchester.

Three day-a-week commuters could save:

• over £220 from St Albans City to London

• over £120 from Bromsgrove to Birmingham

• over £90 from Weston-Super-Mare to Bristol Temple Meads

• over £330 from Chelmsford to Stratford.

This new national offer also reflects the long-term decline in the use of traditional season tickets, with a change in working practices having been accelerated by the outbreak of COVID-19.

With the pandemic sweeping away the traditional commute and leading to a significant increase in home-working, this ticket reflects the new priorities of the public.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail Chief Executive, said: “Passengers deserve a reliable, affordable and sustainable railway, focussed on them. Today’s announcement will help us deliver that by simplifying the railway, paving the way to dismantle the legacy of complexity and fragmentation. Passengers and freight users will once more be put front and centre of a service designed and run for their needs.

“These changes will take time, but I am determined to get to work quickly with the industry and government. The pandemic has created significant challenges for the industry, and that means the changes we have to make are even more urgent. We must attract passengers back, deliver efficiencies and improve the service we provide. Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter for our railway, a chapter that puts the passenger first.”